Purdue Head Coach Ryan Walters: “They’re At A Place In Their Program That We’re Trying To Get To.”

Ohio State’s 41-7 blowout victory over Purdue on Saturday depicted two programs at very different stages of their evolution.

The Buckeyes looked the part of a College Football Playoff contender, while the Boilermakers bore a resemblance to a program finding its way under a young first-year head coach. Purdue skipper Ryan Walters recognized the current divide between the two programs, as evidenced by the lopsided final score, and noted that the Boilermakers have much to learn from the difficult result against the Buckeyes.

“When you look at it, they’re at a place in their program that we’re trying to get to, and that’s to be in a position where we’re consistently competing for championships. So, you see how far we have to go and how much work we have to do.”– Ryan Walters

On its opening drive, Purdue appeared ready for the challenge of Ohio State’s much-improved defensive unit, moving quickly into a field goal range and in position to take an early lead on the Buckeyes. But, kicker Julio Macias sent his 48-yard field goal attempt wide of the uprights, setting the tone for a rough day for the Boilermaker kicker while Ohio State went on to blow the game open with 34 unanswered points.

Macias missed all three of his field goal attempts on the afternoon, including a 39-yard try with two seconds remaining in the first half. For Walters, Purdue’s execution at the end of the opening half left much to be desired as the Boilermakers faced a first-and-goal at the Buckeye 1-yard line before a holding penalty and a sack from J.T. Tuimolaou and Jack Sawyer pushed the Boilers back to the Ohio State 22-yard line before the field goal attempt.

“It kills you from a momentum standpoint. Our offense was moving the ball that last drive going into halftime. It really shouldn’t have gotten to a point where we’re kicking a field goal, though. We had the ball on the inch line and went backward. So we wanted to get points on the board to get some momentum, missed the kick.”– Ryan Walters

Although the Buckeyes and Boilermakers battled through wet conditions in West Lafayette, Ind., Ohio State’s passing attack picked apart the Purdue secondary to the tune of 334 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Spearheading Ohio State’s receiving efforts was Marvin Harrison Jr., who hauled in six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Cade Stover added a pair of scores.

Walters noted that the Boilermakers placed an emphasis on slowing down Harrison, as well as forcing Kyle McCord into quick throws, but recognized the struggles to defend against the wealth of Ohio State’s receiving talent.

“We had things to overlap and had eyes on (Marvin Harrison Jr.), but somebody else will make a play. I thought we were able to get to the quarterback a little bit and try to get him to get rid of the ball, but we just had bad technique down the field when the ball was in the air.” – Ryan Walters

With the win, Ohio State moved to 6-0 — including a 3-0 mark in conference play — and obtained bowl eligibility for the 24th consecutive season in which it was eligible to play in the postseason. A monumental matchup against No. 6 Penn State at Ohio Stadium looms next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon on FOX.